Volume One, Chapter 16: Giving Up—Easier Said Than Done?

During the days when Zhi Shen was away, Yunshen He and Qin Zhou grew quite close, even disregarding the opinions of others, taking her along to business events.

When Zhi Shen returned home, Yunshen He was somewhat surprised to see her as he opened the door, but he said nothing.

After a long silence, they finally spoke. Zhi Shen asked calmly, “That night of our wedding, was it her who contacted you?”

He hadn’t expected that upon her return, the very first thing she would say to him was this.

Having stepped out for a while, Zhi Shen felt that even if she was to let go, there were questions she needed answered.

She had always remembered that night—Yunshen He had stepped out to take a call, and she waited alone in their room until midnight.

The day after their wedding, he left her, his newlywed wife, to travel far abroad.

Zhi Shen assumed it was the school pressing him, worried about his safety on the journey, and hoped he would settle things quickly and return to reunite with her.

At twenty-two, fresh out of university, she was grateful to have married the man she adored.

She was filled with hope for their marriage and future.

But it wasn’t until that day that she realized that while she waited with hopeful heart for their reunion, he was instead accompanying another woman.

It was as if a melodramatic plot from a soap opera had come to life—only it was her own story.

This time, Yunshen He did not hide the truth; his tone was cold.

“That night, she had a perforated stomach ulcer, was seriously ill. You know that—I tried to find her for a long time.”

She was suffering from stomach pain, and he was so anxious that he abandoned his new bride to rush overseas, yet when she had cancer, all he gave was an angry, frustrated question.

At that moment, Zhi Shen felt that all her years of devotion were nothing but a cruel joke.

On the very day of their wedding, another woman fell ill abroad and called him in the dead of night, and he flew to her without hesitation.

But when she was in the hospital, he wouldn’t even come to see her.

Zhi Shen stood by the window, silent for a moment, then spoke with feigned calm: “Yunshen, if she holds your heart, there’s no need for us to force this.”

He glanced back, halting his steps toward the bathroom, his gaze fixed on her with rare emotion.

“Do you know what you’re saying?”

Did it even need explanation?

Anyone with eyes could see that his relationship with Qin Zhou was far from that of ordinary siblings.

Moreover, they were not related by blood.

A notification interrupted Yunshen He’s mood.

He glanced at the message with irritation, then his expression stiffened as he replied without hesitation, “I have something to attend to. I’ll be out for a while. We’ll talk about us when I return.”

“...”

Zhi Shen smiled bitterly. At that moment, she no longer felt the earlier bitterness or pain; she no longer needed to restrain her emotions, only casting a sidelong glance at his departing figure.

The man she once loved so deeply now stirred a trace of aversion in her.

“It doesn’t matter.”

She breathed out softly, more as a response to her own heart.

In a moment of anger, she had indeed thought of divorce.

But after all, it was someone she had loved for so many years; letting go so easily was impossible.

She feared not regret, but that she hadn’t tried hard enough—exhausting every ounce of her feelings.

She stood by the window, watching the black Maybach speed away, and let out a long sigh.

“What are you doing, Zhi Zhi?”

Suddenly, Shan Shan’s call came through. Her voice was lively and playful, bright as her own personality.

A cold breeze blew in, causing a shiver; Zhi Shen drew the curtains and moved toward the wardrobe.

“I was just about to go for a walk.”

“Oh! Didn’t expect that. Our Miss Shen finally decided to go out! Who with?”

“Just me.” Zhi Shen smiled and interrupted.

“Alone? And where’s Mr. He? On such a beautiful Valentine’s night, how can you let the beauty be lonely?”

Shan Shan teased.

When it came to Zhi Shen’s affairs, Shan Shan always talked about Yunshen He, knowing that her best friend valued that perfect man above all else.

Zhi Shen couldn’t help but laugh. “Why, can’t I have a romance that belongs only to myself?”

“No way! You have to come with me. Wait for me—I’ll pick you up right away.”

She hung up abruptly, clearly in a hurry.

Ten minutes later, a Mercedes pulled up in front of Zhi Shen’s villa. She lowered her window, “Get in quickly.”

“What if I’m not here when you come back? What will you do?”

Once inside, Zhi Shen glanced at her and teased.

“Don’t tell me you really plan to have a ‘solo’ romantic night?”

Shan Shan knew Zhi Shen well. Since their marriage, she had become a homebody; getting her to go out at night was harder than seeing a ghost.

“Just wanted to go for a walk.”

Shan Shan’s face showed confusion. “Did that bastard Yunshen He piss you off again? Planning to run away from home?”

Zhi Shen smiled without replying.

“I knew it was him. Looks like he hasn’t learned a single lesson!”

Shan Shan complained helplessly, accidentally honking the horn, producing a sharp beep.

“So, are you going back tonight?”

Zhi Shen shook her head.

Shan Shan frowned. “You usually seem so clear-headed, but when it comes to Yunshen He, you get so confused. I really don’t get why you liked him in the first place. Was it just because of those drawings?”

She suddenly brought it up, and Zhi Shen felt a bit lost. “Drawings?”

Shan Shan sighed, “The ones Yunshen He made for the manga club! You forgot?”

Forgot?

That she could never forget.

She fell for Yunshen He because of that—because then she realized this was the boy she had thought about for years.

She had no parents; as a child, she was adopted by a grandmother in an orphanage.

Though not biological, the grandmother treated her well, providing the best education and living conditions.

From elementary school, she attended an elite academy and met people she would otherwise never have encountered.

They lived in a rather affluent neighborhood, and it was there she met Yunshen He.

The reason she couldn’t forget him was that in him, she saw a reflection of herself from the orphanage days.

Every morning, when she opened the window and saw him—the handsome, delicate youth bathed in sunlight like a glowing prince—she was captivated.

Just one glance, and she was spellbound.

From then on, opening the window each morning became a part of her life; seeing him made her feel inexplicably at peace.

But he seemed so lonely. “Why don’t you go to school?”

He ignored her greeting, distant and cold, as though she didn’t exist.

Later, she thought of a way.

Every day, she left a simple breakfast for him, accompanied by a hand-drawn comic and a note at his doorstep.

It was her silent way of keeping him company and encouraging him.

...

After hearing this, Shan Shan looked puzzled. “Don’t tell me you pledged yourself to him just because of a drawing?”

“What else could it be?”

Zhi Shen fell silent, thinking.

Her love for Yunshen He wasn’t just about those drawings—it was about him as a person.

Perhaps because she had once stood in darkness herself, she always wanted to light a lamp for others.

Shan Shan had always seen through relationships clearly.

“To be honest, I never supported you being with Yunshen He. He’s naturally cold and indifferent to everything, and though he seems steady and composed, you’ll suffer if you’re with him.”

She had said this more than once.

But before, Zhi Shen’s marriage to Yunshen He had been relatively harmonious, so she hadn’t taken it to heart.

She understood his difficulties and temperament, so she was empathetic.

Still, Shan Shan frowned, “But someone as shrewd as Yunshen He—how could he have entered marriage so easily?”

Zhi Shen didn’t want to tell her it was because of Qin Zhou.

She had overheard that Yunshen He married her out of spite after Qin Zhou left the country.

As they spoke, the car slowly stopped in front of a high-end law firm.